In 2011, the country attracted $14.7 billion in FDI, equal to 74 per cent of 2010. Over $11.5 billion came from 1,091 newly-licensed projects while the rest was from 374 existing projects that increased their capital.

In January 2011, the government agreed the plan to make privatization for EVNTelecom whereby EVNTelecom will sell a part of state holding to strategic investor and offer preferential shares to the employees. Of which, EVN will hold 50.6% stake, 0.4% stake will be held by the employees and 49% stake for FPT Co and FPT Telecom Joint Stock Co (FPT Telecom).

Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group has become one of the most successful investors in this neighbouring country with the total investment capital of US$1 billion in such areas as rubber, sugar cane, mining and hydropower industries.

The State Securities Commission (SSC) would check DVD auditing files in Ernst & Young in late September, according to SSC’s vice chairwoman Vu Thi Kim Lien. The Accounting and Auditing Department and Vietnam Association of Certificated Public Accountants also join the inspection. A&C Auditing & Consulting, which audit the DVD’s 2008 financial statement, would be checked as well.

In 2011, the country attracted $14.7 billion in FDI, equal to 74 per cent of 2010. Over $11.5 billion came from 1,091 newly-licensed projects while the rest was from 374 existing projects that increased their capital.

The project is aimed at reducing CO2 emissions from public transportation and households business by using environmental technologies. It also aims to promote the use of solar, wind and other renewable energies more effectively by introducing smart-grid technology.

Last year, Mi won the Gold Prize at the Music Festival and Competition Cheonan in the Republic of Korea and the first prize at the F. Chopin International Piano Competition in Singapore. She is voted as one of the 20 top young representatives of Vietnam.

IDICO-IDI is expected to collect tolls until February 2033. The project would help ease traffic congestion and reduce the number of traffic accidents on National Road 1A from An Suong – An Lac, which runs through Binh Tan District, District 12 and Hoc Mon District, said Tran Quang Phuong, director of the city’s Department of Transport.

At an earlier working session between the two ministries, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) requested the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to hike import tariffs on NPK fertiliser from the current 6 per cent to 6.5 per cent; delay imposition of a 3-per-cent export tax on steel ingots and finished steel; and slash the export tax on coal from 20 per cent to 10 per cent.

A recent VASEP conference pointed out that if Vietnam failed to pursue the lawsuit, it could lose the US market to other big exporters like India and Thailand who had won a similar suit, Thanh Nien newspaper said.

In its Asian Development Outlook 2011 Update (ADO Update), the ADB said Resolution 11, a comprehensive policy package, has made good initial progress by helping the exchange rate to stabilise, allowing foreign reserves to be replenished, and lowering monthly inflation outcomes during June &ndash; August.

&ldquo;VietinBank has made a good choice of advisers,&rdquo; said Alan Pham, chief economist at VinaCapital Investment Management Ltd. HSBC has a depth of expertise and wide distribution network globally that will help get the Hanoi-based bank a &ldquo;good rate,&rdquo; he said.

Last week, the central bank decided to increase the reserve requirement ratio by 1 per cent to 8 per cent for foreign currency deposits less than 12 months and to 6 per cent for foreign currency deposits over 12 months.

The Vietnamese authorities deserve our applause for facing up to tough economic issues. Today&rsquo;s rate hike was just another step in the long battle against inflation. Although the policy stance has clearly shifted from boosting growth to improving economic stability since February, the data flow remains challenging.

According to IMF&rsquo;s regional economic outlook, Vietnam has overcome the global crisis thanks to the substantial financial stimulus package worth 5 percent of its GDP and monetary easing policies. The IMF commented that Vietnam is of the fastest growing economies in Asia. In 2010, Vietnam posted a growth of 6.8 percent thanks to demand for both domestic and international growth. However, the expansion policy adopted during the crisis also has increased macroeconomic risks.

The State Bank of Vietnam set a ceiling on dollar deposit rates on April 13, restricting interest payments for individuals to 3 percent and those for non-credit institutions to 1 percent. Holdings of dong can attract returns of as much as 14 percent.

&ldquo;There is a big difference between what the regulations state and their actual implementation, hindering investors&rsquo; plans,&rdquo; Han Jae Jin, chairman of the Korean Chamber of Commerce&rsquo;s foreign affairs board, said.

Arepresentative from Amcham, said at the workshop on the investment environment improvement workshop held in HCM City on April 26, that enterprises not only have to spend money, but also a lot of time to fulfill customs procedures. It takes exporters three or four days on average to get customs clearance. Especially, it would be a big trouble to enterprises, if they export perishable products and they have to wait for customs procedures.

Passing through the huge shelter was like walking through a stone maze, with millions of small stones arranged in all sorts of different shapes. The fresh air and cool atmosphere enhanced by the murmuring stream and twittering birds were like something out of a fairy tale.

The country is hot right now: the summer monsoon (April to October) has arrived, bringing hot, humid weather to the whole country. And if you’re looking for a place to cool off, you’ll be spoilt for choice Vietnam has some of Southeast Asia’s best beaches.

One of the group, Duong Quang Chan, an overseas Vietnamese businessman, who has lived in the US for years, was returning on this occasion to seek out business opportunities and said he was considering a tourism project in Tra Vinh, which also happened to be his grandmother's birthplace.